The Peace of Wild Things
“When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world and am free.”
Wendell Berry
One hundred years ago, most of southwestern Connecticut was made up of open fields. Over time, however, it has become suburban and developed.
Randall’s Farm Preserve, located on the west side of Sport Hill Road, is a specimen of open space that was once common throughout the area. Donated by Joan duPont, who had owned the land since 1982, Randall’s Preserve, with its trails that weave through tall grasses reminds us of what Easton and much of Fairfield County looked like when it was first inhabited.
While duPont always allowed people to walk on the property, the land was opened to the public as a part of the Aspetuck Land Trust in 2011. When duPont first acquired the property, there was a farmhouse and a barn on the property, which was used as a dairy farm. The farmhouse and barn have since been cleared. “I used to rent out the farmhouse on this land, but I’m excited to give it to the Aspetuck Land Trust,” says duPont. Aspetuck is a fabulous organization and they’re great stewards of the property.”
For birders, there are 52 species of birds, according to a survey conducted by Charles Barnard Jr., a local birdwatcher. In addition to a large variety of birds, the pasture’s wildflowers attract many species of butterflies. The pond on the property is home to turtles during the summer months. The preserve also welcomes domestic animals and allows off-leash dog walking.
“Easton is the only real rural community left in Fairfield County,” says LePage, steward of the Randall’s Farm Nature Preserve and former executive director of the Aspetuck Land Trust. “It’s unique, because it’s the largest open field owned by the land trust. The trust maintains the land in a way that would provide habitats for a number of species. Keeping the panoramic view of the field from the road is really important to us, we want everyone to be able to enjoy this land. But most of all, the land trust wants the preserve to fit in with its location.”
Since 1966, the Aspetuck Land Trust (ALT) had been working to preserve land as open space. Thanks to the help and financial support of community, ALT maintains 146 open spaces and 40 miles of hiking trails on 1,700+ acres in the towns of Westport, Weston, Fairfield, Easton, Wilton, Redding and Bridgeport. There managed open spaces provide safe refuge for more than 500 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and plants and countless hours of outdoor enjoyment for the general public.
The land trust owns close to 1,800 acres of land across four towns in the county, Easton, Weston, Fairfield and Westport. Yet, these 34 acres that make up Randall’s Farm Preserve in Easton are unique.
The Cultural Easton 